How to Crack UPSC CSE?

Let’s Crack UPSC CSE

The following article provide an outline for How to Crack UPSC CSE? Past data shows that lakhs of candidates yearly appear for the UPSC CSE exams, and very few make it to the final list. In percentage, only 20 percent make it to the Civil Services. In India, IAS always tops the list when it comes to government jobs. The candidate leaves no stone unturned to become an IAS officer. The Civil Services Exam is considered the toughest exam. For this exam, the success rate is less than 1 percent. Don’t be disheartened. These are just figures to tell you how difficult the exam is. Every year UPSC conducts exams to recruit candidates for various posts in the government of India. Every year, UPSC conducts an exam to recruit candidates for various posts.

Life is not a bed of roses, and so is the UPSC journey. During preparation, aspirants face several hurdles and obstacles. Every day a candidate has to be consistent in their performance. If you have patience and you are persistent in your studies, the chances are that you will ace the exam. The UPSC exam is a long-term process; no shortcut will work during preparation. To prepare for this exam, a candidate has to work hard with some smartness. The candidate needs to be updated with the current syllabus and trends and must have excellent command over General Studies. With the help of the Internet, anyone can study anywhere. While you are going to an office or coming from an office, you can revise or prepare smaller topics. You can utilize that time to read newspapers so that you can save time for other topics.

Let’s see the importance of reading a newspaper:

Those who don’t have a habit of reading the newspaper, start including this as a regular exercise in your preparation. While growing up, you must have received advice from elders about reading newspapers daily as it improves knowledge quotient. It also helps in improving language skills and vocabulary.

Newspapers give much information about current affairs, which is helpful for both IAS Prelims and IAS Mains papers. In the last few years, it has been seen that more questions are being asked about current affairs than from static. A candidate doesn’t have to read an entire newspaper as topic, verse, and line.

To get the maximum benefit from reading newspapers, aspirants have to follow some do’s and don’ts of reading newspapers.

• Always keep the UPSC syllabus with you.
• Give a thorough analysis of the previous year’s question papers.
• You are required to focus on the issue rather than the news.
• Instead of focusing on when and where, give more emphasis on what and why.

Aspirants must divide news or issues into several categories:

• International Relations.
• Science and Technology.
• Environment & Biodiversity.
• Government Policies and Schemes.
• International Organisations.
• Personalities and Awards.
• Economic Policies.

UPSC exam differs from other government exams like CAT, SSC, PSC, etc. If you want to clear the UPSC exam, you need to know the exam pattern and how to apply your knowledge.

Importance of Mock Exams

• The mock test plays an essential role in preparation for the UPSC exam.
• If you want to know your level of preparation and where you stand, the mock test is the best tool.
• The reason behind that most of the candidates couldn’t clear exams because of the lack of practice. The mock test gives you an exam-like environment. By attempting several mock tests, you will understand ‘what to pick’ and ‘what to skip.’
• The mock tests will boost your confidence level. You will be able to handle the pressure better during examinations.

Detailed Syllabus of Prelims and Main Papers

Given below is the detailed syllabus of prelims and main papers:

UPSC Prelims:

UPSC prelims syllabus is divided into two parts:

• General Studies Paper I
• CSAT or General Studies Paper-II

1. General Studies Paper I

• Current events of national and international importance.
• Indian and World Geography.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• Economic and Social Development.
• Indian Polity and Governance.
• General issues on Biodiversity, Environmental Ecology, and Climate Change.
• General Science.

2. CSAT/ General Studies Paper-II

• Comprehension.
• Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability.
• Interpersonal Skills, including Communication Skills.
• General Mental Ability.
• Decision-making and Problem-Solving.
• Data Interpretation.
• Basic Numeracy.

UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus:

Qualifying papers:

• Paper A: The candidate will have to select one of the Indian languages from the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
• Paper B: English.

Papers to be counted for merit:

• Paper-I: Essay.
• Paper-II: General Studies -I (History and Geography of the World and Society, Indian Heritage and Culture).
• Paper-III: General Studies-II (Constitution, Governance, Social Justice, Polity, and International relations).
• Paper-IV: Genera Studies-III (Economic Development, Security and Disaster Management, Technology, Bio-diversity, Environment).
• Paper-V: General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude).
• Paper-VI: Optional Subject – Paper 1.
• Paper-VII: Optional Subject – Paper 2.

Below are the Important Points:

• Papers A and B will qualify, and marks will not be counted for ranking.
• The level of papers A and B will be of Matriculation or equivalent standard.
• Only those papers will be considered who have attained 25% marks in ‘Indian Language’ and 25% in ‘English as minimum qualifying standards.
• Marks obtained by the candidates in Paper I – Only Paper VII will count.
• The main examination will be 3 hours and be of a conventional (essay) type.

Solving previous year’s question papers are must for UPSC aspirants. Through previous year’s question papers, you will get an idea about what kind of questions are being asked from the topics.

Conclusion

If you have analyzed previous year’s papers, you must have got an idea that every year’s difficulty level is not the same. With hard work and determination, you will succeed in an exam.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to How to Crack UPSC CSE? Here we discuss the introduction, the importance of mock exams, and the detailed syllabus of prelims and main papers. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –

1. UPSC CSE Syllabus
2. UPSC CSE Notification
3. UPSC CSE Eligibility
4. How to Prepare for UPSC Exam?